Digital Commons Network^™

The Relationship Between Kinesthetic Perceptions Of Elite Music Theater Singers And Acoustic Measures Of Voice Production Methods: A Pedagogic Analysis, Leigh Usilton

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study relates acoustic changes that occur during female belt voice, mix voice, and legit voice to the self-reported physical sensations of elite music theater (MT) singers for the purposes of developing further pedagogic language to convey imagery and sensation to students of MT singing.;Six professional female MT singers comfortable producing belt, mix, and legit styles of singing sang a series of C major and E-flat major scales on the vowels /alpha/, /ae/, /epsilon/, and /[special character omitted]/, followed by three brief excerpts from the modern MT repertoire. Both prior to and following the sung exercises, subjects described the three …

Words That Help: A Journey Through Expressive Writing, Jaede Ishikawa

University Honors Theses

For the past three decades, researchers have studied the effects of "emotional writing" or "expressive writing" as a therapy tool, finding positive results for a myriad of chronic as well as intermittent psychological, emotional, and physical health issues. My interest in these findings, along with my academic interests in psychology and creative writing and my own experience with writing as therapy, led me to wonder if incorporating "expressive writing" techniques in a college setting would be beneficial. The few focused studies that have been done indeed show that it can be and my thesis aims to address a need for …

That Mysterious, Remisse Knot: Katherine Philips's Unincorporated Fraternity, Rene Kramer

University Honors Theses

Recent critics in early modern poetry, women’s literature, and queer studies have attempted to factor Katherine Philips’s friendship poetry into a history of homoerotic suspicion. Her metaphysical poems have been offered as a publically significant, potential erotics of textual, rather than physical, embodiment. This thesis responds by returning to the significance of the in-significance of textual representations of feminine erotics, as well as to earlier criticism of Philips as a poet of non-public life and chastity. An examination of notions of innocence in Philips’s configurations of friendship highlights an excess of innocence and a passion predicated on exception, restraint, and …

"How To Banish A Demon" : An Attempt To Present Traditional Japanese Theater To An American Audience With An Original Kyogen Play, Chrys Chabot

University Honors Theses

Can an art form that is many hundreds of years old and from a country on the other side of the world effectively entertain an modern American audience? And if it can, need it lose any of the elements that are key to its form and cultural importance to do so? This is a question many have asked when discussing multicultural theater. In this project I have attempted to bridge the gap between ancient Japan and the modern United States by writing, directing, and producing an original kyogen play. Developed in the thirteenth century, kyogens are short comedic plays similar …

La Notion De Rupture Dans L 'Œuvre De Samuel Beckett, Falilou Seck

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Samuel Beckett is famously known for his classic play Waiting for Godot, but he will also be remembered as one of the first authors to stand up to the establishment whose main goal was to preserve and protect the tradition inherited from Honoré de Balzac. Indeed, Beckett initiated a revolutionary approach by rejecting the cornerstone of the French novel, the notion of character. He instead replaced it by what many critics call voices that loose their identity, their sense of time, space, meaningful communication, and purpose in life. In order words, he gets rid of everything that serves only one …

That's A Wrap: Exploring Los Angeles County's Adult Film Condom Requirement, Kevin Shaffer

Brooklyn Law Review

No abstract provided.

Pedagogical Thoughts On Liszt's Six Concert Etudes, Zhiwei Zheng

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This paper focuses on suggestions for learning or teaching each of these concert etudes, dealing with the structure of themes, keys, dynamics, programmatic interpretation, and specific technical issues. Several performing elements are discussed in detail, including melody and bass lines, musical phrasing, rhythmic pulse, tempo rubato, layered dynamics, and pedaling.

Ethnic Diplomacy: Race, The United States, And Mexico During World War Ii, Jordan Lieser

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation begins by framing the overall relationship between the United States and Mexico during World War II and recognizes the significant economic role Mexico played in the U.S. wartime industrialization. With this framework in place, the emphasis of this research then turns to how Mexico pressured the United States government into addressing the racial prejudice which existed within the United States against what was perceived as a unified Latin American ethnic group. Thanks to the increased importance of Mexico, multiple parts of the United States government including the State Department, the Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs, the …

Aesthetics In Hindu-Christian Studies: A Theological Framework, Michelle Voss Roberts

Journal of Hindu-Christian Studies

ALMOST a decade ago, I saw something extraordinary at an academic conference. The presenter, Katherine Zubko, who is also the respondent for this group of essays, stepped from behind her podium and demonstrated a series of dance postures to illustrate how Christian dancers have quite literally incorporated a mantra from Hindu scripture into their own devotion.1 Something similar happened again, at an annual meeting of the American Academy of Religion, only this time the dancer was on a stage in full performance apparel for a recital. The performer, Francis Barboza, has spent his career innovating Christian-themed dance numbers in the …

Icts And Technical Agency: A Case Study Of A Rural Brazilian Community, Lorena Melgaço, Katharine S. Willis

School of Art, Design and Architecture

This paper explores the role of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in rural, marginalised communities. We explore Feenberg's concept of technical agency in order to understand the ways in which technological capacity might contribute to community development. We discuss three conditions of technical agency as outlined by Feenberg: power, knowledge and appropriate occasion. We consider how this framework might enable an approach to understanding the role of ICTS in the particular socio-spatial contexts in marginalised communities. In order to test Feenberg's approach, we discuss a case study of a village in rural Brazil: Noiva do Cordeiro. The community is recognised …

Fowl Feathered Fox: Monsters, Pipers, Families And Flocks, Michelle Aslett

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Fowl Feathered Fox: Monsters, Pipers, Families and Flocks is a doctoral work consisting of a full-length stage play and an exegesis. An introduction outlines the scope of the doctoral work, while a concluding chapter reflects on research findings and considers staging issues and implications. Appendices include images incorporated into the play’s action as well as photographed excerpts from a series of visual diaries used to document the play’s evolution. The play, Fowl Feathered Fox, explores the nature of delusion, deception and the tragedy of The Beast Within. Borrowing as it does from the traditions of revenge tragedy, comedy and horror, …

The Absurd Reality Of Satire In Neil Labute's 'Fat Pig', Hermione Gehle

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This research project examines the misreading of satire in some productions of Neil LaBute’s play, Fat Pig. This practice led project aims to investigate why such misinterpretations occur and explore the theatrical styles that emphasise the satire in the text via rehearsal processes and production.

There will be three preliminary paths undertaken in this research heading toward a new production of Fat Pig; an exploration of the responses of audiences and critics to past productions; an analysis of the background to Neil LeBute and his work; and an examination of theatrical expressions of satire, experimental theatre, contemporary theatre, …

Enter The Movement: Generating Stimulus From Sceneography And Proposing 'De-Sign' As A Tool For Choreographic Invention, Helene Gee Markstein

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The purpose of this study was to provide the notion of ‘de-sign’ as a proposed aid for movement composition and is the core framework of my research, which is aimed at empowering the dancer/choreographer with a multi-disciplinary aesthetic and a focus for dialectic discussion and experimentation with all material enclosed within the scenographic. De-sign is a method for decoding scenography (as a deconstruction tool to extract the components of composition classified as elements and principles). The play on words is a deliberate acknowledgement of the ‘design’ in the scenographic environment which, in this study, takes into account that all forms …

The Impact Of Participative Communication On Organisational Cultural Change: Two Local Government Cases Of Change, Katie Turton

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Managing change is of critical importance in organisations. Communication during the change process has been the subject of considerable and highly contested academic and managerial debate. In this study, The Impact of Participative Communication on Organisational Cultural Change: Two Local Government Cases of Change, communication during the change process was closely examined to see how, if at all, participative processes impact upon the adoption of change. As a result of this research a ‘Ladder of Employee Participation in Change Management’ was developed, to better understand the nature of participative communication and provide clarity for change practitioners who develop change communication …

Contemporary Kitsch: An Examination Through Creative Practice, Sally Stewart

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This exegesis examines the theoretical concept of contemporary kitsch within a creative practice that incorporates sculptural and installation art. Kitsch is a distinct aesthetic style. Once designated to the rubbish bin of culture, kitsch was considered to be low class, bad taste cheap fakes and copies (Greenberg, 1961; Adorno & Horkheimer, 1991; Calinescu, 1987; Dorfles, 1969). I argue, however, that this is no longer the case. This research critically examines the way in which contemporary kitsch now plays a vital and positive role in social and individual aesthetic life.

Although there are conflicting points of view and distinct variations between …

The Shifting Voice: Investigating Accent And Dialect Training For West Australian Actors, Luzita Fereday

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This masters research examines accent and dialect training for actors in the Western Australian context and seeks an understanding about what aural, embodied and cognitive attributes an actor needs in order to move from one accent to another. In particular, this research explores the characteristics of Australian dialects as grounds for the acquisition of the Standard British accent or Received Pronunciation.

The purpose of this research was to identify the expertise required when teaching an accent to acting students in pre-professional levels of tertiary training. This practice-led approach to the research included interviewing, observation, the circulation of questionnaires, and my …

Co-Authorship In Action: Curation & Collaboration In American Post-Judson Dance, Sara Gibbons

Honors Theses

This essay aims to illuminate and champion concert dance through an investigation into a sliver of American postmodern dance, which I term post-Judson dance, in an attempt to better understand, define, and assert dance in academe, art, and culture. This thesis examines the use and benefits of collaboration in today’s dance devising processes and the influences that constructed collaboration as a choreographic working method. Through historical, theoretical, contemporary, and practice-based evidence, this essay argues that through choreographer and performer participation, leading to the transformation of content, style, structure, and discovery, choreographers harvest an expansive collection of information that they use …

Passing Crisis And Emergency Risk Communications: The Effects Of Communication Channel, Information Type, And Repetition., Judy Edworthy, Elizabeth Hellier, Lex Newbold, Kirsteen Titchener

School of Psychology

Three experiments explore several factors which influence information transmission when warning messages are passed from person to person. In Experiment 1, messages were passed down chains of participants using five different modes of communication. Written communication channels resulted in more accurate message transmission than verbal. In addition, some elements of the message endured further down the chain than others. Experiment 2 largely replicated these effects and also demonstrated that simple repetition of a message eliminated differences between written and spoken communication. In a final field experiment, chains of participants passed information however they wanted to, with the proviso that half …

The Effects Of The Marzano Observation System Training On The Self-Efficacy Of Teacher Observers, Samuel Ashley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research analyzed the effects of the Marzano Teacher Observation training on the self-efficacy of teacher observers. In this study, seventy-four teacher observers reported their self-efficacy in the areas of evaluating student engagement, evaluating classroom management, and evaluating instructional strategies in pre and post surveys. The results of the surveys were analyzed with a paired samples t-test. This study found that the Marzano Teacher Observation system increases the self-efficacy of teacher observers. This study was delimited to participants of a Marzano Teacher Observation training conducted in the fall of 2014. The findings of this study will inform executive school leaders …

A Study On The Relationships Between Participation In Tutoring And Accountability Measures In One Urban High School, Hector Maestre

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify relationships between an urban high school*s student participation in an after-school tutoring program and its relationship to accountability measures on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) Reading and End of Course (EOC) exams in the 2013-2014 school year. The research aimed to determine the influence of tutoring participation for urban high school students. Participants included students enrolled in one urban high school who participated in the FCAT Reading and EOC assessments and is was identified if they participated in the school tutoring program or not. Quantitative results revealed the relationship between students* …

Gillespie Eco-Evolutionary Models (Gems) Reveal The Role Of Heritable Trait Variation In Eco-Evolutionary Dynamics, John Delong, Jean P. Gibert

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Heritable trait variation is a central and necessary ingredient of evolution. Trait variation also directly affects ecological processes, generating a clear link between evolutionary and ecological dynamics. Despite the changes in variation that occur through selection, drift, mutation, and recombination, current ecoevolutionary models usually fail to track how variation changes through time. Moreover, eco-evolutionary models assume fitness functions for each trait and each ecological context, which often do not have empirical validation. We introduce a new type of model, Gillespie eco-evolutionary models (GEMs), that resolves these concerns by tracking distributions of traits through time as ecoevolutionary dynamics progress. This is …

Improvisation In Organizational Development : Basic Interpretive Examination Of The Improviser Facilitator In Corporate Training And Development, Nicole Annette Buras

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the experiences of trained improviser facilitators who are members of the Midwestern Improvisational Community and who utilize improvisational strategies in corporate training and development programs. The improvisers' experiences examined include their development, implementation, and evaluation of improv incorporated into corporate training and development. The conceptual framework drew from literature on improvisation, adult learning, and workplace learning. Extensive improv practitioner texts exist in performance arts and within corporate training and development; however, limited research exists surrounding improvisers' experiences employing improvisational philosophies and strategies in workplace learning.;This study employed a basic interpretive qualitative approach. …

La Contra-Hegemonia Como Tactica Cultural En Dos Obras Teatrales De Paloma Pedrero, Jeffrey Bainbridge

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This thesis examines the relationship between Paloma Pedrero's plays, Esta noche en el parque and De noche a alba, as they explore the evolution of gender roles in a post Franco Spain. After the death of General Franco Spain launched into a transition to democracy. In its wake, as the balance of power transformed the body politic, the traditional gender roles were in equal upheaval and redefinition. With selected theoretical references to Antonio Gramsci and Michel Foucault, this thesis explores how Pedrero's works hone in on the nucleus of these renegotiations placing the interpersonal nature of the relationship under the …

La Femme-Artiste Dans Elle Et Lui, Lucrezia Floriani De George Sand Et La Jongleuse De Rachilde, Sabie Zenku Baftiri

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This thesis examines the characters of women artists in three novels, Elle et Lui, and Lucrezia Floriani by George Sand, and La Jongleuse by Rachilde. Specifically, it focuses on the outcomes of women artists' choices, considering other elements, such as the comparison between a female and a male artist, sexual ambiguities and their implications, the contrast between friendship and passionate love, and also maternal behavior and motherhood. Moreover, the thesis also takes into consideration the dialectics of power: who is dominated and who dominates? Finally, autobiographical information is given whenever necessary or relevant: both authors are mothers whose relationships with …

Modulation Of The Il-6 Receptor Alpha Underlies Gli2-Mediated Regulation Of Immunoglobulin Secretion In Waldenstrom Macroglobulinemia, David A. Jackson

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Immunoglobulin (Ig) secretion by terminally differentiated B cells is an important component of the immune response to foreign pathogens. Its over-production is a defining characteristic of many B cell malignancies including Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia (WM), where elevated levels of IgM is associated with significant morbidity and poor prognosis. Therefore, the identification and characterization of the mechanisms controlling Ig secretion are of great importance for the development of future therapeutic approaches for this disease. Here, we define a novel pathway involving the oncogenic transcription factor GLI2 which modulates IgM secretion by WM malignant cells. Pharmacological and genetic inhibition of GLI2 but not …

Lawyers On Trial: Juror Hostility To Defendants In Legal Malpractice Trials, Herbert M. Kritzer, Neil Vidmar

Faculty Scholarship

In contrast to medical malpractice, legal malpractice is a phenomenon that has attracted little attention from empirically-oriented scholars. This paper is part of a larger study of legal malpractice claiming and litigation. Given the evidence on the frequency of legal malpractice claims, there are surprisingly few legal malpractice cases that result in jury verdicts. There are many possible explanations for this, one of which reflects the perception that lawyers are held in such low esteem by potential jurors that they risk harsh treatment by jurors when they are defendants in legal malpractice trials. Because we could find no empirical evidence …

Somaesthetics And Dance, Curtis L. Carter

Philosophy Faculty Research and Publications

Dance is proposed as the most representative of somaesthetic arts in Thinking Through the Body: Essays in Somaesthetics and other writings of Richard Shusterman. Shuster- man offers a useful, but incomplete approach to somaesthetics of dance. In the examples provided, dance appears as subordinate to another art form (theater or photography) or as a means to achieving bodily excellence. Missing, for example, are accounts of the role of dance as an independent art form, how somaesthetics would address differences in varying approaches to dance, and attention to the viewer’s somaesthetic dance experience. Three strategies for developing new directions for dance …

2014-2015 Annual Report On Philanthropy: Designing Opportunities, Building Futures

Annual Report on Philanthropy

No abstract provided.

A Cross Sectional Comparison Of Postnatal Care Quality In Facilities Participating In A Maternal Health Voucher Program Versus Non-Voucher Facilities In Kenya, Charlotte E. Warren, Timothy Abuya, Lucy Kanya, Francis Obare, Rebecca Njuki, Marleen Temmerman, Ben Bellows

Obstetrics and Gynaecology, East Africa

Background: Health service fees constitute substantial barriers for women seeking childbirth and postnatal care. In an effort to reduce health inequities, the government of Kenya in 2006 introduced the output-based approach (OBA), or voucher programme, to increase poor women’s access to quality Safe Motherhood services including postnatal care. To help improve service quality, OBA programmes purchase services on behalf of the poor and marginalised, with provider reimbursements for verified services. Kenya’s programme accredited health facilities in three districts as well as in two informal Nairobi settlements.

Methods: Postnatal care quality in voucher health facilities (n = 21) accredited in 2006 …

Perceptions Of The Preparedness Of Medical Graduates For Internship Responsibilities In District Hospitals In Kenya: A Qualitative Study, Patricia Muthaura, Tashmin Khamis, Mushtaq Ahmed, Syeda Ra’Ana Hussain

Obstetrics and Gynaecology, East Africa

Background: Aga Khan University is developing its undergraduate medical education curriculum for East Africa. In Kenya, a 1 year internship is mandatory for medical graduates’ registration as practitioners. The majority of approved internship training sites are at district hospitals. The purposes of this study were to determine: (1) whether recent Kenyan medical graduates are prepared for their roles as interns in district hospitals upon graduation from medical school; (2) what working and training conditions and social support interns are likely to face in district hospital; and (3) what aspects of the undergraduate curriculum need to be addressed to overcome perceived …